On my way to the Undiscovered Country

In case that title went above anybody's head, I am not calling Armenia the Undiscovered Country, but I'm referring to something in the spirit of Star Trek. Jumping to the heart of this post, most of the previous articles on this blog were academically written, with a pedantic style that may have allowed the reader to finally win the battle for insomnia. There's a great deal of catharsis in writing one's own perceptions on the world at large, and so many fragmented and divergent thoughts become much more cohesive when placed in a written context. When I initially started this blog, I had promised myself that I would avoid becoming one of those people to post about their private life, allowing the world to become the nosy diary reader that many initially dismiss, but hope to have at their attention. Since then, I have not wavered in making this blog personal. However, I have decided to sharpen my skills as a writer by chronicling my journey, both physical and philosophical to the land of my forefathers. In actuality, it's just a fraction of the land of my forefathers, but after thousands of years of deep history, ranging from happiness to sorrow (usually tilting towards the tragic end of the spectrum), the simple fact remains that there still exists a sovereign nation called Armenia. How many Phrygians, Cappadocians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Goths, etc., can attest to maintaining cultural cohesion and a sovereign through the last few tumultuous millenia?

Upon returning from this all-to-brief trip, I will attempt to frequently update this blog with posts containing my impressions, perceptions, experiences, insights, and self-discoveries. I'll illustrate these with photos taken, and hope to better engage the reader. It must be understood that my attempts at changing the nature of this blog is not connected to the hope of gaining a larger readership, or pandering to popular opinion, but is a natural extention of the creative drive to expand and constantly improve. My hope is that as the main themes remain as they are, the exploration of new literary realms will enable a greater interest that borders outside the harsh world of politics and nature. My contempt at politicians and clergy will never wane, and I shall continue to fight for reality as it is. Yet, even reality isn't the harsh nihilistic plane that some would make it out to be. Within reality, there is an amazing development known as the human mind. We can conquer the secrets of nature, as will soon be further revealed with the LHC, and probe the depths of the universe. Our ability to reason and develop tools that can further refine our understanding of the natural world is unsurpassed by any creature that has ever existed on this planet. The fact is that we are truly lucky to have survived the cosmic death gallery long enough to develop the self awareness to explore everything around us. Science is ultimately the only door that we can use to highten our understanding of everything around us. It is not a belief like religion, but instead, the only method that will lead to true empirical understanding.

Having completely drifted off topic, I would like to return to explaining the inner need to blog about my upcoming experiences in Armenia. As it's often said, it's only by looking at the past that we can have a greater understanding of who we are, and where we're going. My primary goal on this trip is to first, understand both the country and the people from which I came. Of particular interest are the archaeological and historical sites that will help highlight the true history of the region. Secondly, I would like to gauge the attitude of the people, and developing economy of the present, and hopefully uncover the direction that the Undiscovered Country will take. Yet, the Undiscovered Country is a blind path, with only hindsight as a guide, which even on its best day is probably unavoidable. The natural oscillations and rhythm of life as our existence moves through spacetime is as circular in some ways as it's linear in others. Only science and the constant battle calls for defeating the ghosts of the past can prevent our sysyphusian struggle.